Customer Reviews

The Lotte Berk Method: High Round Assets

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I absolutely LOVE the Lotte Berk Method. I started doing them about 6 weeks ago and I've seen great results, along with The Firm, Tae-Bo, and a sensible diet. I've lost weight, increased my strenth, and those aren't even the best parts. The best thing for me is that in the first week of using this DVD, High Round Assets, I lost an inch off each thigh! My legs are my problem area. I'm an intermediate/advanced exerciser and even with the most strict dieting and advanced leg workouts (Like The Firm: Standing Legs) I hadn't seen ANY inch-loss off my thighs in over a year. But, High Round Assets helped me a lot. This DVD is great for slimming your lower body. It has a nine-minute warm-up that focuses on strengthening your upper body and stretching, about 20 minutes of muscle-killing standing/lying down isometric exercises that focus on the glutes and hamstrings. It wraps things up with "Shape By Stretch", where you stretch the parts you worked for elongated, shapely muscles.

Again, I have to say that I absolutely love HRA. I use it every other day. It's great! I recommend it to any person who bulks up easily when weight training. This will slim you! Good luck!

The Lotte Berk Method is a form of exercise developed by Russian dancer Lotte Berk and brought to America by Lydia Bach. Drawing from dance and other similar disciplines, many of the exercises require the use of a ballet barre, and the focus is on making small, precise movements to facilitate the development of long, lean muscles. As the title suggests, High Round Assets particularly targets the muscles in the glute area with the goal of creating a higher and firmer behind.

Like all of the Lotte Berk videos, this workout begins with high knee lifts to warm up. Instructor Kristen Lilley leads two other Lotte Berk instructors, one of whom shows modifications and one of whom uses a wall (actually a column in this case) instead of a barre. Also included in the warm up are push-ups: 2 sets of 10 on your knees, and then 2 sets of 10 "reverse" push-ups, performed with your hands behind you and your chest up to switch the work to the triceps. After the warm up, the workout moves to the barre for several sets of leg lifts. Beginning with a straight leg, you lift your leg behind you and make small, slow lifts upward for 2 sets of 10; the next 2-3 sets are performed more quickly. After repeating on the other side, you then do a bent leg version, again starting with slow lifts and progressing to quicker lifts. This focus on doing only a couple of different exercises with a very high number of repetitions is different from the other Lotte Berk videos, but I found it to be more effective. However, like the other videos, there is an emphasize on stretching, so you always perform stretches between the movements.

After the barre work, it's on to the floor for "back dancing," which is basically a series of pelvic tilts done while lying on your back. These moves are performed a variety of ways, including emphasizing one side only and placing your feet into different positions, but you are constantly moving with no breaks inbetween. The workout ends as all the LBM videos do with a "Shape by Stretch" section in which you perform hamstring and other stretches. At 31 minutes, this is a short, efficient workout for targeting your glutes; mine were definitely sore the next day! I found the instructor, Kristen, to be more tolerable than some of the other Lotte Berk instructors, but the style of these videos might not appeal to everyone, especially since the exercises are quite repetitive. However, I would recommend this workout to anyone looking for an effective means of making the most of their "assets."

This is a half hour long and has excellent toning exercises. I worked muscles I didn't know were there - and I felt it the next day. The instructor is easy to follow, she shows you everything once before you do it. You have to pay attention to watch your form and you'll get a great workout. And there is no equipment to buy!

This is perhaps my favorite of the 4 Lotte Berk Method DVDs, as is the instructor, Kristen, who in my opinion comes across as the most engaging and down-to-earth of the LBM video instructors.

If you're familiar with The Bar Method exercises, the exercises perfomed in "Lotte Berk Method: High Round Assets" are quite similar to the seat/glutes exercise segments in "The Bar Method: Fat Free" DVD - but with some variations nonetheless. The first portion of exercises for the glutes are performed standing up while using a ballet barre for support (a sturdy tall-back chair will work). You work in small, precise movements while staying deep in the muscle, as well as performing isometic holds and pulses. These exercises are very tough and you definitely feel it working. The lying exercises consists of Pelvic Tilts with some variations that not only work your buttocks, but also your inner and outer thighs, lower abs and back. In fact, I used this DVD the day after I'd done a tough abdomnial exercise that left my lower back very sore. The pelvic tilt, which is also an ortheopedic back exercise, helped to sooth and stretch it out, and by the next day my lower back pain was gone!

There are a few things about this DVD and the exercises contained therin which make it especially great. First of all, This DVD is only 30 minutes long. The exercises are not only non-impact, but from my own experience, they more effectively target and shape the buttocks than squats or lunges do, which although work the glutes some, tend to work the legs (especially quads) a lot more. Therefore, I like to alternate these type of exercises with squats/lunges and usually do either this DVD or one of TBM DVDs in combination with an aerobics DVD on cardio or light days.

As with all exercise methods of this nature (Lotte Berk Method, The Bar Method, Callenetics), these exercises become more challenging as one progresses. I would definitely consider this to be an intermediate level workout, as true beginners may be better to start with "Lotte Berk Method: Basic Essentials" before moving on to this one.

Rating: Excellent

After being disappointed by some of the other Lotte Berk videos I tried, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by this video.

The workout effective isolates the butt/hip muscles by doing many reps/variations of simple small movements. The moves aren't complicated nor dangerous.
This is a challenging workout, but appropriate for beginners to advanced: beginners can do fewer reps, super-advanced can probably try light ankle weights.

I like this instructor, she seems down to earth and not annoying to me (not too peppy, not too slooow, not talk too much but does give ample appropriate cues.) Also, even though there were many reps of each exercise, the instructor varied it enough and also moved the workout along so that I didn't feel bored or wasting time.

Summary of moves:

WARM UP(This seems to be standard to all the Lotte Berk videos; personally I like to skip this):
knee lifts, shoulder shrugs. Push ups, reverse push ups, tricep stretch, hamstring stretch.

SEAT: (They recommend using a chair or wall to hold onto while doing these.)
Hip extension
Hip extension with leg slightly out to the side & knee bent & aim lower leg/foot behind you (this one burns!)
Hip extensions while leaning forward (as if you're doing an arabesque)

"BACK DANCING":
Hip rolls in bridge position (lots of reps - regular, ankles flexed, and legs together)

STRETCHES

What a great toning workout, tough but I could almost immediately see results, this is a good DVD if you're looking for some variety. I usually do pilates type exercise , so it's nice to have a change of pace so I don't get bored. The music in this DVD was really upbeat too.

The most honest reaction I can give you the first time I worked out is *cry* lol!

If you've done any of the other Lotte Berks or Bar Method or Callanetics or Core Fusion, then you have a strong and stable foundation for this. If you haven't done them before, then get ready. You're in for a magnificent challenge. And this one was seriously challenging. (I can't imagine how difficult the studio classes must be. I'll bet people have read about Lotte Berk and the results the program nets and they dive right into it with no sense of the trauma that's waiting for them. LOL!!) I've read there are always packed and some studios require reservations.

So grab this DVD and get busy getting lean and sculpted.

The barre work is better explained here. There is so much instruction you never wonder if you're doing it properly. This instructor has your hips resting against the bar for the raised leg work and this leg work will have your entire body shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. When you raise your leg, you're raising-hold-lowering-raising-hold and at the end, you're holding it in the air for a final 5 seconds. I do remember going into shock the first time I did them. A happy shock because I realized, "I REALLY AM GOING TO CHANGE MY BODY!!!"

There is Back Dancing, which are the pelvic thrusts but these are different. The set-up puts your body at a slightly different angle and the movements seem to go a bit deeper. There are also left thrusts and right thrusts.

I guess this is how the fit gurls play. *snort* If you want to ratchet things up several notches, these are for you.

I love Callanetics, and for the "assets," I really like Suhaila's Fitness Fusion and Kathy Smith's Ult. Stomach and Thighs.

However, for really focusing on the glutes and hamstrings, this 30 minutes went by relatively quickly. It starts with the typical Lotte Berk high steps, and moves smoothly into the workout. There is nothing atypical here, the movements are ones you would find elsewhere, but the instruction is crystal clear with an emphasis on form so you are working the RIGHT parts of your glutes, not the lower back or adductors. And, of course, the shape by stretch is always good.

If you do this workout, however, and add on the bonus blast part, you will definitely see results faster, and feel it deeper. The bonus blast are the moves done with more power, at a higher level of intensity, and at a faster pace. It's a nice finish off to the workout to feel that extra burn. However, muscles get memory quickly, esp. the glutes, so the bonus blast is nice to add in now and then to "wake up" the muscles and ensure that your muscles don't become accustomed to the workout and it becomes less effective.

I got this DVD to supplement my current workouts of Pilates and Martial Arts. Lotte Berk "High Round Assets" is a great addition. It's easy to follow and effective. Pilates has done wonders for my posture, back and abs, but I still needed something more for the real problem spots. I'm not giving up my other workouts, but adding Lotte Berk will get you where you want to be in time for beach season. I'd recommend it as a good supplement but not your only workout.

I've used this workout 4 times. It does target the glutes and thighs effectively but if you've got any joint issues with your hips or knees, or a lower back weakness, this program is not for you. The moves are slow and isolate the specific muscles to the point of fatigue but most of it is done standing on one leg and will strain a weak hip or knee. Some of the floor work has you in shoulder bridge with one leg raised and doing pulses which will be hard on hips and lower backs if you've already got problems.

Overall, the exercises are good, but I won't be buying any other Lotte Berk tapes. This is just my opinion but I feel like it's trying to be very exclusive, is overpriced and I just don't really like the overall feel of the product. I'm a bit turned off of trying the other tapes because all the instructors speak in the same airy, soft almost sultry voice which seems unatural (watch the trailers for other products). I also don't see what the instructors going on an NYC designer shopping spree at the beginning adds to a workout program or is supposed to say about Lotte Berk Method.

I'd read about Lotte Berk in a few magazines that also included sample workouts. I was interested in finding out what it's all about. Based on this program and the trailers for the other DVD's, it looks like a highly polished up version of the classic isometrics we've all known and done for years (back leg lifts, "fire hydrant" lifts, shoulder bridge with seat raises etc) just done in a smaller range or motion for higher intensity, and with a basic warm up and some good stretches added in, all taught by model like instructors.